The University of North Texas

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Really get to know your faculty when you are applying to this graduate school.

Make sure you will be a fit.

Make sure you are not settling and are really excited to be there. My first impression of this place was "No" and I went anyway. Long story short, I did not finish the PhD.

Make sure you have a strong support network, and are not looking for assistanships. The decisions about funding are PURELY political and have undesirable strings attached, such as meddling in your personal life (at least in the political science department), so you need your own resources if you want to avoid all that.

Make sure you really know who you are and will not bend to repeated attempts to mold you in someone's image. They will try. You need a spine and boundaries. Don't expect it to win you any friends.

If you have a clear plan of what you want to research, you will be asked to change your topics and told your topic doesn't matter (see above about the spine).

If you want to do something other than be a professor, you will not get much support. I experienced active resistance, but given the market (a shit show with 1000 people per tenure-track position and $60k starting salary after ~7 years of graduate subsistence, or worse - adjuncting until the day you die) I suspect they will be at least neutral, but they know nothing about how to get a job in the real world, so NETWORK your heart off starting from day 1.

Get involved early and often. Do graduate government, join clubs, work out, and take advantage of career fairs. They hate it when you do it (because they want you to labor day and night without seeing friends or sunlight), but your mental health is more important. Get friendds, network, and resources from outside of the department, so you don't wilt if you loose support for any political reason (which happens all the time).

Pay attention to red flags and cut your losses if it all gets too much. If you feel like you are not being taken seriously, seek out alternative routes for your future. Having a masters and resiliencey is better than a PhD with a depression, ruined relationships, and financial difficulties.